Environment

Poland Ordered to Cease Deforestation of UNESCO-Protected Forest

By Ada Carr

November 24 2017 09:00 PM EDT

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At a Glance

Poland has been ordered to cease its current active management operations of the Białowieża forest.

The forest is a World Heritage Site protected by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The country must adopt the court's rulings or face fines of more than $118,000 per day

A ruling from the European court of justice has ordered Poland to immediately end its deforestation of a World Heritage List woodland or pay a hefty price.

A Nov. 20 press release from the European government stated Polish officials are to cease the current management operations of the Białowieża forest. The court has stated Poland’s current operations are harmful to the woodland, and if the court’s rulings aren’t adopted, the country faces fines of more than $118,000 per day.

It is home to the world’s largest population of the European bison, which are classified as “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

The operations were first put into place in 2016, when an outbreak of hazardous spruce bark beetles led Poland’s Minister for the Environment Jan Szyszko to authorize loggers to increase their workload in the forest, as well as implement forest management methods such as pruning trees in areas previously untouched by that sort of activity, according to the release.

An area of roughly 131 square miles was cleared of dead trees and trees affected by the beetles. The forest has a total area of 548 square miles.

“Trees are still being cut down every day, so the court prescribed this measure to guarantee the full protection of this unique forest, and to avoid irreparable damage,” said Szafraniuk.

Despite the ruling, Poland’s government asserts that it has always behaved lawfully and logging in the forest is needed to prevent another beetle outbreak, The Guardian reports.

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